Metaheuristics Applied to Biorefinery Supply Chain Problems

Abstract

Bioenergy has been recognized as an important alternative source of energy. The production of bioenergy is expected to increase in the years to come, and one of the most important obstacles in increased bioenergy utilization are the logistics problems, which involve complex and large-scale optimization problems. Solving these problems constitutes a daunting task, and often, traditional mathematical approaches fail to converge to the optimal solution within a reasonable time. Thus, more robust methods are required in order to overcome complexity. Metaheuristics are strategies for solving complex and large-scale optimization problems, which provide a near-optimal or practically useful solution. The aim of this chapter is to present a survey of metaheuristics and the available literature regarding the application of metaheuristics in the bioenergy supply chain field as well as the uniqueness and challenges of the mathematical problems applied to bioenergy.